1. Rearview Mirror: Classic IndyCar Series championship races: Just eight
points separate IndyCar Series championship leaders Scott Dixon (570
points), Dario Franchitti (565) and Ryan Briscoe (562) entering the
season-ending Firestone Indy 300 on Oct. 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
It will be the 10th time in 14 IndyCar Series seasons that the title will
be decided at the final race. This is the third of a six-part series
looking back at some of the classic championship races in IndyCar Series
history. Today: 2003: the five-man fight

Five drivers entered the season-ending Chevy 500 on Oct. 12, 2003 at
Texas Motor Speedway with a legitimate chance to win the IndyCar Series
title, and each had different stories behind their title charge.

Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves were tied atop the standings with 467
points entering the finale. Dixon won his first IndyCar Series start, in
March 2003 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with Target Chip Ganassi Racing,
which moved solely into the IndyCar Series full time from Champ Car. It
was his first of three victories entering Texas. Castroneves had two
victories so far in 2002 for Team Penske and looked to avenge losing the
2002 title by just 20 points to Sam Hornish Jr.

Tony Kanaan was third entering Texas -just seven points behind Dixon and
Castroneves - driving for another Champ Car convert, Andretti Green
Racing. He had just one victory in that season but used consistency to
stay near the top.

Hornish was fourth with one race to go at 448 points with Panther Racing,
19 behind co-leaders Dixon and Castroneves. He started the defense of his
two consecutive IndyCar Series titles with a significant power
disadvantage, but Chevrolet introduced a new engine after the
Indianapolis 500 that helped Hornish win three of the last four races
before the Texas finale, including the Toyota Indy 400, the
second-to-last race of the season.

De Ferran was fifth in the points entering Texas, 30 behind Dixon and
Castroneves. De Ferran missed the race in Japan due to injuries suffered
in a crash in Phoenix, but victories in the Indianapolis 500 and at
Nashville kept him in contention with Team Penske. But he was a longshot
for the title after finishing 15th at the Toyota Indy 400 at California.

The Chevy 500 at Texas was filled with mathematical possibilities for all
five drivers, as the Ganassi, Penske, Panther and Andretti Green teams
kept an eye on their drivers and each other. Dixon, Hornish, Kanaan and
de Ferran all led significant numbers of laps during the race, and the
tension grew.

Hornish's chances at a title evaporated when his engine failed on Lap
176, relegating him to a 17th-place finish. Just three laps later, two
more contenders were weeded out when Castroneves and Kanaan made contact.
Castroneves finished 13th in the race, Kanaan 14th.

De Ferran did everything possible that weekend, winning the pole and the
race in his final IndyCar Series start. But Dixon finished second, enough
to claim his first IndyCar Series title by 18 points over de Ferran,
507-489. Castroneves ended up third at 484, Kanaan fourth at 476 and
Hornish fifth at 461.

What They Say Now:

Scott Dixon: "The championship chase always seems to involve quite a few
of us, but 2003 was definitely a standout. It was a big year for us
because it was the first year we came into competition in the IndyCar
Series with the team and myself. We won quite a few races that year and
were looking pretty strong. But when you go into a final race and there
are five people and it's Texas, anything can happen. There was the big
accident at the end, and for Gil to win his last IndyCar race and me to
win the IndyCar championship was fantastic."

Gil de Ferran: "I was very much the outsider. Reason being was that I had
a big accident in Phoenix and missed scoring any points in that race. And
because of the accident, I broke my back and my neck, and I had to sit
out round three, in Japan. Effectively, I missed two races. The race I
came back was the Indianapolis 500, which I won. From there on, we were
looking good and always up front. We were not particularly strong on the
mile-and-a-halfs, and I had a terrible race in Chicago with one round to
go. That put me in kind of an outside position with an outside chance. We
had a test in Texas prior to the championship, and it was a three-day
test. I remember having a conversation with Tim (Cindric) and saying
really that the team should focus on Helio. Helio went to the test; I
didn't go to the test. He did all the setup work. We really focused on
trying to give Helio the best chance possible. It was a funny thing. I
remember having a conversation with Tim, and I said, 'What do you think?'
He said: 'Helio had a good test. I think we should put everything exactly
like Helio found best. The whole setup, from top to bottom." So the only
change I made the whole weekend was adding half a turn of front wing or
something like that. The car was awesome. I qualified on the pole and won
the race."

Helio Castroneves: "It was a tough championship. We had five drivers that
had the possibility to win the championship. It was amazing, and Texas is
an especially tough track. We were right there. I was in third place, and
Gil (de Ferran) was in first. Tony Kanaan was in second place and on one
of the restarts, I was trying to take advantage and push Gil, and the car
slid up a little up. Tony probably came a little bit down, but it was one
of those races. We got too close and our wheels got tangled. And both of
us at that time lost the championship."

Sam Hornish Jr.: "It was a big year for us. Even after we beat Penske (in
2002), a lot of people were saying, 'Well, It was only Penske. It wasn't
all these other guys.' It was kind of tough for me because I knew I was
leaving Panther (after 2003 season). I was leading at Texas, and the
engine blew up. We had the exact same thing happen at both Indianapolis
and Texas, which was burning a hole in the top of the piston. At Texas,
all we needed to do was go out and lead the most laps and win, and we
were on track being able to do that. With 50 laps to go, we ended up
having the same problem. It was a frustrating year for us, but we kept
our heads up and felt, in a lot of ways, that it was about as good as it
got as far as having an opportunity to win the championship."

***

. Teams Testing at Homestead, Indy: Testing at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway next week will occupy some of the
free time IndyCar Series drivers have until they report to Florida for
the season-closing Firestone Indy 300 on Oct. 10.

Meira's track action will be his first since being injured in a multi-car
crash during the Indianapolis 500 in May.

"We're not going for any track records. I just want to give him some seat
time so he can adjust to being back in a race car after being out for so
long," team owner A.J. Foyt said.

Foyt, though, didn't give the go-ahead for Meira to compete in the
season-ender at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"I don't have the people to put together the proper effort for both Ryan
(Hunter-Reay) and Vitor," he said. "When I made the deal with Ryan, I had
told him he'd have a ride for the rest of the season because I didn't
really know if Vitor would be ready. And even though Vitor has been
cleared to drive, the more I thought about it I don't think having his
first race back being at Miami is the best thing for Vitor. There's a lot
of risk and not that much to be gained. We want to get a good start on
2010 with Vitor and do more testing over the winter so I think it's in
all of our interests to have him focus on next year."

Looking to 2010 is the objective of Firestone Racing and IndyCar Series
testing at the Brickyard. Castroneves and Franchitti, the 2007 Indy 500
winner, will participate in testing various Firestone Firehawk compounds
on the 2.5-mile oval.

Meira, Andretti (Andretti Green Racing) and Viso (HVM Racing) are
scheduled to test the effects of the removal of the rear wing end fences
and the caution light between the rear wing posts on trailing cars. The
yellow caution light adds about 20 pounds of drag to the car, according
to Indy Racing League senior technical director Les Mactaggart. He's
seeking to improve the wake of the car so a trailing car can run closer
at the Speedway.

Testing (9 a.m.-5 p.m. EDT, Sept. 29 and 30) is free for spectators to
watch from the stands south of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of
Fame Museum.

"With more Indy 500 victories than all other tire manufacturers combined,
the Firestone brand has become synonymous with the Indianapolis 500,"
Firestone Racing executive director Al Speyer said. "I believe the key to
that success is that Firestone Racing has never become complacent. That's
why we test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a yearly basis. The
environment is always changing - even if it is a lot of small things, the
changes add up. The cars change a little bit, and the track surface
changes.

"So it's imperative that we go and track test to make sure we've got the
best product possible since during the month of May, all eyes are on the
IndyCar Series and its drivers, teams, partners and suppliers. And in
2010, the winner of the Indy 500 will cross the finish line on Firestone
brand tires for the 61st time in the race's 94-year history."

Fans also can watch testing Sept. 30 (11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.) free at
Homestead-Miami Speedway from the fourth floor of the Speedway Club. It'd
be an opportune time to purchase tickets to the Firestone Indy 300, which
will decide the IndyCar Series champion, and the Firestone Indy Lights
race Oct. 9. Scott Dixon, who won from the pole at the 1.5-mile
Homestead-Miami Speedway oval in 2008, holds a five-point lead over
Franchitti, his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate. Team Penske's Ryan
Briscoe is eight points off the lead.

"Our first year of hosting the IndyCar Series championship and we get the
second-tightest points race in series history," Homsetead-Miami Speedway
president Curtis Gray gushed. "Three drivers, eight points, one trophy --
and tickets for just $30 while kids under 12 are free.

"And rest assured Miami knows how to throw a championship party -- here
at Homestead-Miami Speedway, up on South Beach, down in the Keys. C'mon
down and see IndyCar Series history, but plan on staying a while to soak
in all the racing, the tailgating, the music and the parties."

***

3. IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights drivers race in karting event:
Dan Wheldon and Ed Carpenter lead a group of IndyCar Series and Firestone
Indy Lights competitors into the Mazda Robo-pong 200 Presented by
Bridgestone on Sept. 27 at New Castle (Ind.) Motorsports Park.

The endurance karting event that includes pit stops and driver changes
begins at 12:30 p.m. (EDT) at the facility visible from I-70 owned by
former IndyCar Series driver Mark Dismore. The race is free for
spectators.

Wheldon, a former winner of the event, will again team with Mark Dismore
Jr. in the No. 4 Cometkartsales.com kart. Carpenter will co-drive the No.
20 Vision Racing entry with Nathan O'Rourke, an assistant engineer with
the IndyCar Series program.

4. Firestone Indy Lights teams begin preparations for 2010: Even though
the 2009 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway is a few weeks away,
some Firestone Indy Lights drivers and teams have already begun their
plans for the 2010 schedule.

"He has shown this year in Star Mazda that he is a driver with great
potential, and he demonstrated his speed and maturity again at the test.
Adam is clearly on several teams' short list of drivers for next season,
and we will be watching him closely as he tries to win the Star Mazda
Championship.

Plowman, who has raced for Panther Racing this season, used the test day
with the most-recent race-winning team as a gauge as he evaluates his
options for next season.

"Not every team has the same philosophy, so I was able to learn a lot
from the test (with BHA)," Plowman said. "It's nice to get a different
perspective on things sometimes, and I was able to learn some things
while getting a little more experience behind the wheel. I want to do
another year in Indy Lights and this was a chance to learn from others
teams on where maybe I was lacking this year and how a different team
does things."

***

The 2009 IndyCar Series season concludes Oct. 10 with the Firestone Indy
300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High
Definition at 4 p.m. (ET) Oct. 10 by VERSUS. The race will air live on
the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio
broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com. A one-hour qualifying
show will air on VERSUS at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 9. The 2009 Firestone Indy
Lights season concludes with the Homestead-Miami 100 on Oct. 9 at
Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will be telecast live by VERSUS at 6
p.m. (ET).